I like a good piece of engineering and this is a substantial 3½lb piece.

I have hankered for a nice safety lamp for years and when a good friend showed me this one I knew it was time to resolve that.

For those that don't know, it was lamps like this, often incorrectly referred to as Davey Lamps, that made the mining of coal a viable proposition by providing a source of light that would not ignite the explosive firedamp gas that usually seeped from the coal seams.

It is arguable that without this type of beautifully engineered lamp there would have been no industrial revolution.

Unlike the imitations made for the tourist trade, this includes all the safety features designed to prevent the lamp being opened underground and protecting the delicate gauze and not quite so delicate glass from potentially catastrophic damage.

This model has an internalĀ flint striker, allowing it to be reignited safely underground if that was ever needed. After a quick clean out to remove the residue of an old flint, the mechanism worked perfectly.

Although the light they cast was not huge, the important thing was the way the light would change in the presence of firedamp and that led to their continued use by inspectors long after being replaced for general lighting by electric systems.

They run on Naptha based fuel like Lighter Fluid or Coleman Fuel, not Paraffin or Kerosene like most of my other lanterns.

One fill, which is a little shy of 100ml, will burn overnight but because of evaporation it’s wise to fuel the lamp just before lighting rather than storing it filled.

The light is about equivalent to a candle but wind proof and tent safe.